Record changing device for phonographs



April 12, 1960 H. ZIMMERMANN 2,932,519

' RECORD CHANGING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS Filed Jan. 25, 1954 UnitedStates Patent '0 RECORD CHANGING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS HeinrichZimmermann, St. Georgen, Black Forest, Germany, assignor to GebriiderSteidinger K.-G., St. Georgen, Black Forest, Germany, a firm ApplicationJanuary 25, 1954, Serial No. 405,958 2 Claims. (Cl. 274-) The presentinvention relates to phonographs equipped with a device for theautomatic change of records. The mvention particularly concernsphonographs of this kind, wherein a stack of records is centrallysupported above the turntable.

For the change of records a device has proved to be satisfactory whichcomprises within the centre post of the phonograph two groups of stacksupports which are adapted to be moved out alternately from the centrepost and are arranged a distance apart in an axial direction whichcorresponds to the thickness of a record. The stack supports areoperated in such a manner that, during the playing of one record placedupon the turntable, the lower group of supports carries the stack ofrecords, whilst the upper group of stack supports separate, whenoperated, the lowermost record from the stack and support the remainingstack for the time which is required for the discharge of the separatedrecord on to the turntable. Various actuating mechanisms have beenproposed in the past for the alternate actuation of the stack supports.According to one of these proposals an actuating shaft is disposedwithin the centre post, and this actuating shaft is controlled in turnby the record changing mechanism of the phonograph.

The present invention, which relates to the last-mentioned construction,is to be seen in that the stack supports are formed by tongue-likesprings which, if firmly connected to the centre post, co-act withdeflecting faces or deflecting cams of the axially displaceableactuating shaft, or, if connected to the actuating shaft, co-act withstationary deflecting surfaces. The advantage of stack supportsconstituted by springs is to be seen mainly in that bearings can beavoided.

A record-changing device of this kind has proved to be particularlyadvantageous wherein only the upper group of stack supports is formed bytongue-like springs, which are fastened to the axially shiftableactuating shaft and co-act with stationary deflecting surfaces withinthe centre post, whilst the lower stack supports are formed by fingerswhich are carried by pivotally supported levers extending in an axialdirection. With this construction it is advisable to place the pivotallysupported levers under the influence of spring means, which are arrangedto urge the supporting fingers of the levers into the supportingposition. Moreover, the arrangement can be made advantageously such,that the stack supports of the lower group, when they are withrawn fromtheir operative position, are adapted to support the upper group ofstack supports when they are in their supporting position.

It is advantageous to connect the centre post with the stack supports tothe turntable in an exchangeable manner in order to make it possible touse the phonograph in the conventional manner without a record-changingdevice. It may be mentioned that the record-changing device according tothe invention is suited to be used mainly for phonographs which areadapted for playing records with a large centre hole. With suchapparatus the centre posts have a correspondingly large diameter so thatthere is ample space in their cavity to accommodate the stack supports;however, the construction of the record-changing device according to theinvention is not limited to centre posts with large diameters. Theconstruction of the changing device according to the invention andparticularly its operation can also be realised with centre posts ofsmaller diameter.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of examplein more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a phonograph centre post, thelower group of stack supp'orts being in the supporting position, whilstFig. 2 illustrates a longitudinal section corresponding to that of Fig.l, which shows the stack supports of the upper group in the supportingposition.

As shown, a centre post 1, which has a removable upper portion 2, isprovided with a cylindrical cavity and with a central bore through whichan actuating shaft 3 extends. The actuating shaft carries in the lowerpart of the cavity a truncated cone 4, whilst to its upper endsprings 5and 6 are fastened which bear against bent surfaces 7 and 8 at the lowerend of the member 2. Levers 13 and 14 are pivotally supported on pins 9and 10 and biased by springs 11 and 12. The upper ends of the levers areshaped to form supporting fingers which project in the position shown,laterally through openings of the centre post 1 and serve as supports ofa stack of records held in a central position by the upper part 2 of thecentre post.

In the position shown in Fig. l the levers 13 and 14 support the stackof records. On the other hand, in the position shown in Fig. 2, thelevers 13 and 14 are angularly displaced so that their supportingfingers are withdrawn into the cavity of the centre post, whilst thesprings 5 and 6 project with their ends laterally out of the centrepost. Accordingly, the springs 5 and 6 are in a position to take overthe support of the stack of records.

The shifting of the stack supports from the position according to Fig. 1into the position shown in Fig. 2 is caused by an upward movement of theactuating shaft 3. As a result of this upward movement, the truncatedcone 4 forces the lower arms of the levers Band 14 apart, so that theupper ends of these levers are displaced inwardly. At the same time thesprings: 5 and 6, by being deflected along the curved surfaces 7 and 8,are

forced to move outwards from their covered position shown in Fig. 1, sothat they project out. of the centre post. The springs 5 and 6 aredispoed above the levers 13 and 14, and the arrangement is made suchthat the inwardly displaced ends of the levers 13 and 14 support theoutwardly projecting springs 5 and 6. In this way the supporting powerof the springs 5' and 6 is substantially increased, so that they aresuited to carry safely the stack of records even if of lightconstruction.

The springs 5 and 6 are so arranged above the levers 13 and 14 thattheir ends, which serve for the support of the stack of records, aredisplaced with respect to the supporting fingers of the levers 13 and 14a distance which corresponds to the thickness of a record. Accordingly,when the actuating shaft 3 is moved upwards, the ends of the springs 5and 6 will enter between the two lowermost records of the stack, so thatthe lowermost record is separated from the stack and free to fall downupon the turntable as soon as the levers 13 and 14 are caused by thetruncated cone 4 to move into the position shown in Fig. 2.

The lower edge of the supporting fingers of the levers 13 and 14 may beso shaped that, when the played secured to said shaft means, saidsprings being outwardly resiliently deformed in. generally oppositeradial directions and having free end portions engaging against saidguide elements, said guide elements being curved and flared outwardly ingenerally opposite directions radial of said post, said springs beingresiliently deflectable radially outwardly responsive to relativeclosing movement of said springs and guide elements, said end portionsof said springs being arranged to project generally radially outw ardlyof said post and into the interstices between adjacent records when saidsprings and guide elements are in relatively closed relation, whereby toseparate the lowest record from a stack and to support the remainingrecords,- said end portions being arranged to be retracted within saidpost when said guide elements and springs are in relatively openrelation, said guide elements having radii of curvature smaller than theradii of curvature of said springs in outwardly deflected condition sothat the, free end portions only of said springs engage said guideelements with intermediateportions of said springs remaining free ofsaid guide elements, whereby to facilitate flexing of said springs uponobstruction of their radially outward movement and a consequent verticalsearching action of said end portions responsive to continued axialprogress of said shaft means, whereby to insure penetration thereofbetween adjacent records, second record support means mounted withinsaid post and being shiftable selectively to a record supportingposition and to a retracted position, said second support means inrecord supporting position being spaced from said end portions of saidspring by a distance generally corresponding to the thickness of arecord, and means associated with said shaft means operable to shiftsaid second support means to said positions alternatively to saidsprings.

2. A record changing device for phonographs of the type having aturntable with means for supporting a stack of records thereabove, saiddevice comprising a hollow center post mounted centrally of saidturntable, a set of flat type elongate springs within said post, meansforming a set of guide elements within said post, shaft means axiallyshiftable within said post, one of said sets being fixed on said postand the other of said sets being secured to said shaft means, said guideelements extending outwardly in generally opposite directions generallyradial of said post, said springs having free end portions engagingagainst said guide elements, said guide elements holding said springsresiliently deformed in generally opposite radial directions, saidsprings being resiliently deflectable radially outwardly responsivetorelative closing movement of said springs and guide elements, said endportions of said springs being arranged to project generally radiallyoutwardly of said post and into the interstices between adjacent recordswhen said springs and guide elements are in relatively closed relation,whereby to separate the lowest record from a stack and to support theremaining records, said end portions being arranged to be retractedwithin said post when said guide elements and springs are in relativelyopen relation, said springs having portions intermediate their fixedportions and their points of engagement with said guide elements, saidintermediate portions of said springs being free to flex responsively toobstructed outward movement of the end portions of said springs with aconsequent vertical searching action of said end portions responsive tocontinued relative axial movement of said shaft means and post, wherebyto insure penetration of said end portions between adjacent records,second record support means mounted within said post and being shiftableselectively to a record supporting position and to a retracted position,said second support means in record supporting position being spacedfrom said end portions of said spring by a distance generallycorresponding to the thickness of a record, and means forming anoperative connection between said shaft means and second support meansoperable to shift said secondsupport means to said positionsalternatively to said springs.

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